Cigarette machine



March 9, 1948. P. A. RUTHERFORD CIGARETTE MACHINE Filed Jan. 9, 1945 Patented ar. Q, 1948 CIGARETTE MACHINE Paul A. Rutherford, Baltimore, Md., assignor to Katherine E. Ruther'ford,'Ba1timore, Md.

Application January 9, 1945, Serial-'No. 572,005

5 Claims. i

This invention relates to improvements in cigarette machines, particularly of the character adapted to be made of small vest pocket size, which may be carried in the pocket, purse or bag, and is small and compact.

Cigarette machines of this character which have been proposed heretofore have not been entirely practical for manufacture, could not be molded practically of plastics and other moldable materials, and have not been satisfactory and fool-proof in operation in the forming of cigarettes thereby.

The object of this invention is to improve the construction of such cigarette-making machines, to provide a construction which is small and compact, is practical for molding in plastics, simple and inexpensive in construction and is entirely fool-proof in operation, so that any person even without experience will have no difificulty in making a compact cigarette comparable with automatically manufactured cigarettes made on standard machines.

This object is accomplished in a preferred embodiment of the invention by constructing a case with sides and bottom that may be molded from plastic, and having a hinged cover thereon.

A pair of rolls are mounted in the case in sideby-side relation, one of which carries a strip of fabric or apron attached thereto at one end and is adapted to be Wound thereon, said apron forming a trough beside the other roller first to receive the loose tobacco, and then to feed the wrapper thereto, winding it around a rod of tobacco enclosed by the apron, thereby completely and effectively enclosing the tobacco rod with the wrapper rolling it into a formed cigarette.

The second roller disposed beside the firstmentioned roller carrying the apron, directs the apron thereto in a proper manner without regard to the direction of rotation of the first-mentioned roller, thereby making the device fool-proof and assuring of the proper and effective formation of the cigarette. The cover also carries a rib thereon in position to form a tamping bar for the tobacco in compacting it into a compact rod, thereby assuring the formation of a solid secure cigarette, to improve the formation of the cigarette.

This embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the machine in open position and ready to receive the wrapper;

Fig. 2 is a cross section therethrough with the cover closed;

Fig. 3 is a'similar view with the-wrapper partly inserted therein;

Fig. 4 is a similar view showing the formation of the completed cigarette; and

Fig. 5 is a detached perspective view of the cover.

The machineshownas the preferred embodiment of the invention is constructed with a casing of elongated formsomewhat exaggerated in the drawings. This case is formed with a bottom I, a front wall 2, and opposite end walls 3. The back of the casing is initially open. The casing may be molded of plastic or other moldable material, with these walls and bottomformed all of one-piece. The upper edge of the front wall 2 is formed preferably slightly lower than the end walls 3 to form an apron-receiving slot 4 between said front wall and the cover when the latter is closed.

The cover is designated generally at 5 and is shown as formed with an oifset wall portion 6 adapted to extend downwardly in the open back of the casing being hinged to the end walls 3 by hinge pinsl. The cover 5 carries a tamping rib or bar 8 on the inner side thereof preferably formed integral therewith, the entire cover structure being preferably molded of plastic or other moldable materials in one integral piece. The cover 5 is shown as extending throughout the length of the casing overlapping the end walls 3 and adapted to be seated on the upper edges of said end walls in closed position.

Mounted within the casing adjacent the front wall 2 is a roller 9,.journaled on trunnions l0 that are mounted in bearings in the end walls 3. ()ne of the trunnions l0 projects through the end wall and has a knob ll fixed on the outer end thereof for turning the roller '9. The roller 9 is connected with an apron 12 formed of a strip of light weight flexible fabric, one end of which is attached to the roller as indicated at 1'3 and is adapted to be wound thereon upon rotation of the roller in either direction.

Mounted beside the roller 9 is a second roller I4, shown as somewhat smaller in diameter than the roller 9 and forming a guide roller for the apron l2. The guide roller 14 also has opposite ends thereof mounted on journal pins l5, journaled in the end walls 3 of the casing. These rollers 9 and I4 may be formed also of molded plastic or other moldable materials, if desired, as well as the journal pins 10 and I5 and the knob ll, although the. rollers might be formed of aluminum or other light weight metals, if desired.

The guiding roller I4 is spaced from the wall portion 6 of the cover a sumcient distance to form a wrapping space therebetween as indicated generally at It. This space l6 should be of a size to shape and form a cigarette of the desired diameter when the tobacco thereof is compacted. The tamping rib or bar 8 is spaced from the wall portion 6 of the cover sufficiently far to be disposed over the top portion of the space it to compress the tobacco down in the space and to hold it during the formation of the cigarette by the rolling action.

In using the machine to form a cigarette, the first step is to extend the apron l2 by pulling it out over the open cover 5, substantially as shown in Fig. 1, and to tuck the intermediate portion of the apron down in the space l6, so as to form a trough therein to receive the loose tobacco which is then sifted into the trough as indicated generally at T in Fig. 1. A sufiicient quantity of tobacco is pressed downward into the trough to form a cigarette of the desired compactness; after a little experience the amount required may be gauged with accuracy.

After the desired quantity of tobacco is thus inserted into the trough formed by the apron l2, the cover is then closed thereover as indicated in Fig. 2, and the knob ll turned through about one revolution, which will be suificie'nt to start the winding of the apron on the roller 9, and to roll the tobacco into substantially a round rod. The character of this is somewhat exaggerated in the drawings due to the exaggerated thickness of the fabric, When the cover '5 is thus closed, the tamping rib or bar 8 will tamp the tobacco down in the space l6 and will hold it thus compacted during the rolling operation which follows, as well as throughout the forming of the cigarette, thus maintaining the tobacco in compressed condition within the apron, even as the latter is being moved in the rolling operation.

Then the cover 5 is again opened and the wrapper W laid over the rollers and rolled tobacco beneath the apron l2. The adhesive edge of the wrapper W should face downward and project from the machine when the cover 5 is again closed, which adhesive edge may then be moistened with the lips or otherwise. Then'the knob l i is turned again to wind up the apron l2 on the roller 9, thus drawing the apron into the machine as indicated in Figs. 3 and 4. This will also feed the wrapper W in under the apron around the tamped rod of tobacco T, as indicated in Fig. 3, continuing this enclosing of the tobacco rod by the wrapper W until the wrapper is completely wrapped therearound, the moistened adhesive sealing over the edges of the wrapper and eifectively enclosing the formed cigarette, as indicated in Fig. 4, where the completed cigarette is designated generally at 0.

Then the cover 5 may be opened and an addi tional turn of the knob l i will cause the cigarette C to roll out into convenient position for lifting it from the machine, resulting in a completely formed compact and practical cigarette comparable in all respects with that made on an automatic machine,

The machine is small and compact and may be made of vest pocket size. It is capable of being molded of plastics in different colors as desired, and yet is effective in forming a complete cigarette very quickly and simply with very little experience.

The use of the guide roller 14 not only aids in providing the space IS in which the cigarette is rolled to proper shape and wrapped, but it makes the device fool-proof inasmuch as the roller 9 can be turned in either direction and yet will feed the apron 12 in to accomplish the wrapping operation to roll the cigarette properly. The cigarette is made compact and its wrapping facilitated by the use of the tamping bar or rib 8 on the cover which presses down the tobacco in the rolling space l6 and maintains pressure thereon and the compacted condition thereof throughout the rolling operation.

I claim:

1. A cigarette machine comprising a casing having a bottom, opposite end walls and a front wall, a pair of rollers journaled in the casing in side-by-side relation, one of which is adjacent the front wall, an apron having one end attached to the roller nearest the front wall and adapted to be wound on said roller and to extend therefrom over the other roller, a cover hinged to the casing and having a wall portion thereon extending throughout the major portion of the height of the casing from the top edge thereof to the bottom and substantially closing the back of the casing and spaced from the last-mentioned roller forming a rolling space therebetween adapted to receive the apron and a cigarette wrapper in a loop in said space, said loop adapted to be filled with tobacco and to be rolled to enclose the tobacco in the wrapper upon winding of the apron on the first-mentioned roller.

2. A cigarette machine comprising a casing.

having a bottom, opposite end walls and a front wall, a. pair of rollers journaled in the casing in side-by-side relation, one of which is adjacent the front wall, an apron having one end attached to the roller nearest the front wall and adapted to be wound on said roller and to extend therefrom over the other roller, a cover hinged to the casing and having a wall portion thereon extending throughout the major portion of the height of the casing from the top edge thereof to the bottom and substantially closing the back of the casing and spaced from the last-mentioned oller forming a rolling space therebetween adapted to receive the apron and a cigarette wrapper in a loop in said space, said loop adapted to be filled with tobacco and to be rolled to enclose the tobacco in the wrapper upon winding of the apron on the first-mentioned roller, and a tamping bar carried by the cover and disposed over said space in position to compress the tobacco therein upon closing of the cover.

3. A cigarette machine comprising a casing, a cover hinged to the casing and adapted to close the top thereof, a roller journaled in the casing, an apron having one end attached to said roller and adapted to be wound thereon and to extend therefrom, means forming a rolling space in the casing adjacent said roller adapted to receive a loop of said apron and a cigarette wrapper enclosing a tobacco rod therein, and an elongated tamping rib carried by the cover on the under side thereof and disposed approximately midway of the width of said rolling space in position to tamp and compress the formed tobacco rod in the loop of the apron by pressure directly thereon for compacting said rod.

4. A cigarette machine comprising a casing having a bottom, opposite end walls and a front wall, a pair of rollers journaled in the casing in side-by-side relation, one of which is adjacent the front wall, means enclosing the back portion of the casing and spaced from the rollers to form a rolling space in the casing between said enclosing means and the other of the rollers, an apron having one end attached to the roller nearest the front wall and adapted to be wound upon said roller and to extend therefrom over the other roller to form a loop in the space adapted to receive a cigarette wrapper and to be filled with tobacco therein and to be rolled and wrapped upon winding of the apron onto the first mentioned roller, and a tamping bar carried by the casing and disposed approximately midway of the width of said tamping space and of suflicient depth to extend an appreciable distance into said space to bear directly upon the roll of tobacco therein when wrapped in the apron.

5. A cigarette machine comprising a casing having a bottom, opposite end walls and a front wall, a pair of rollers journaled in the casing in side-by-side relation, one of which is adjacent the front wall, an apron having one end attaohed to the roller nearest the front wall and adapted to be wound on said roller and to extend therefrom over the other roller, a cover hinged to the casing, means spaced from the last mentioned roller and forming a rolling space therebetween in the casing adapted to receive the apron in a loop in said space with a cigarette wrapper therein to be filled with tobacco and to REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 630,103 Petersen Aug. 1, 1899 2,006,595 Kahre July 2, 1935 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 531,051 France Oct. 13, 1921 

